No, Oakland didn't suddenly go to "Beast Mode" to ground and pound past the Titans. Carr still dropped back 34 times (22 of 32, 262 yards passing, two TDs, two sacks, 114.3 rating). And beyond Lynch rushing 18 times for 76 of those scrimmage yards, the Raiders averaged only 3.9 yards per carry behind their mighty offensive line.

But he was mixed in, with even greater volume than expected in his first game back following a brief retirement. He also ran hard in his vintage way, setting the tone in a gritty matchup that became a field-goal fest instead of the expected shootout between Carr and Marcus Mariota.

The Raiders played with a more physical streak up front on both sides of the ball than the Titans, who pride themselves on having that kind of identity around Mariota. Lynch was particularly key in the second half, catching a 16-yard pass that set up a field goal in the third quarter and helping his team whittle the clock in the fourth quarter.

Carr is still the one who drives the Oakland offense, but Lynch's job is to pull victories into the garage. Along the way, he's there to create options both downfield and in the red zone for Carr. With that line and the unrelenting Lynch, it's hard to commit an extra defender to stopping the power run, with the threat of Amari Cooper, Michael Crabtree and new difference-making tight end Jared Cook occupying secondary attention.

Without seeing stacked boxes, Lynch is the perfect complement. During his best days in Seattle, the offense fed off him getting carry after carry to break the will of the defense. As a 31-year-old, the thought of him as a complementary cog is terrifying. The Raiders got it right with his touches in the 15-to-20 range. That's plenty for him to be effective and consistently give Carr a favorable matchup in the passing game.

Jack Del Rio's team was successful because it stayed in attack mode all throughout 2016. With Lynch, it just dials up the overall aggressiveness and attitude in a big AFC game like Sunday's.

Don't be fooled by the lack of a beastly box score. Lynch is already looking like everything the Raiders hoped he would be. Silver and Black, meet Black and Blue. It's clear the newer, older Lynch is different from the young one, but that doesn't mean he was any less effective for his current team.